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Sunday, May 24, 2015

Hats off to the Irish! And to the witty genius who led the charge . . . .

Hats off to
Ireland, the first country to recognize gay marriage by popular vote. Following
an emotional campaign, the Irish voted 62.1 per cent favor of this move, which signals
a social revolution. Overnight, Ireland has become a model of
inclusivity and tolerance. Yet I would suggest that this transformation could have been foreseen. Faithful readers (hi, Mom!) know
that I hate to quote myself. But in Celtic
Lightning, while tracing Canada’s Scottish and Irish roots, I write of how
an “equally singular figure,
then completing his education on the east side of the Atlantic, was preparing
to make a courageous stand for another kind of tolerance and diversity—one that
is often overlooked in discussions about pluralism. By insisting on the right
to be different, Oscar Wilde pointed the way to a broad-mindedness that would
lead, eventually, to a more pluralistic Canada." A few pages later, we
read: “LGBT literature springs from a more closeted tradition that runs from Wilde through such Canadians as
John Glassco and Timothy Findley. . . . That LGBT writers have been able to
thrive in this country—as much as any writer can be said to thrive—is owing
first and foremost to Oscar Wilde, who cleared a space for difference and
pointed the way to broadening our definitions of tolerance, diversity, and
pluralism.” The book will be published in September by Patrick Crean Editions /
Harper Collins Canada.